Coach Brett Morley: "Coaching Alexus is extremely enjoyable! She has a ton of grit and it's exciting to see the desire inside of her to do well. She listens and takes in every coachable moment and that is exactly why she is as successful as she is. Her consistency with training is something that every athlete should strive for. She is a team captain for us this year and her leadership off the course is just as valuable as it is on the course. Our goals are for Alexus to get down into the mid 18's consistently by the end of the year and finish in the top 3 at state. Our classification has been known to produce some fast runners and we are excited to see her run at the top and earn a college scholarship to compete at the next level."
How did your summer training go leading into your senior xc season?
This summer I worked harder than any other summer. I upped my mileage, ran workouts twice a week, and took the easy days I needed.
2A girls rankings
Tell us about the GTC Tiger Classic. What were your expectations?
I knew this course was going to be a tough one, and I knew there were going to be a lot of girls that I would be racing against. I expected to run a decent time, but I didn't expect to win.
How did you handle the race and what was the most challenging part?
I tried to stay with the leading pack through the first mile, then I would leave them if the pace wasn't too hard. The most challenging thing would be pacing myself for the first mile because it's always too fast and ends up affecting me later during the race.
What does it mean to win last weekend going into Eye Opener?
It gave me a lot of confidence coming into this weekend's race (Eye Opener)
What goals do you have for this season?
My goal is to get into mid or high 18s consistently towards the end of the season.
What's your motivation?
Using my hard work to push me to my limits.
What do you hope to achieve at Eye Opener?
Getting in the 18s would be really nice, but I would be satisfied with a low 19.
What meets are you looking forward to this season?
I'm looking forward to Lakelands Invitational and Starlight Run because they're both flat and really fun courses to run. I'm also looking forward to running coaches classic because we're getting to run the course that we run at state.
What does it mean to be part of the Landrum team?
To encourage others to do their best, and to work towards the same goal.
What do you hope to achieve in the sport in the future?
I hope to be able to run at a collegiate level and continue running as an adult.
How did you get involved in the sport and when?
I didn't have anything to do during the fall and my mom ran, so I decided to run cross country. I started running my freshman year.
Do you prefer one sport over the other?
I prefer cross country because I rather run on a course then going around a track over and over.
What do you suggest to younger runners?
I would suggest to them to take easy days seriously because if they don't they will end up getting injured and having to take a couple of weeks or even months off.